Page 76 of The Very Naughty List

My lie sounds unconvincing even to me, but before Nick can ask me anything else, Sebastian walks up to us with my brother beside him.

“All right, I think we’ve put in enough time here, don’t you think?” Sebastian tugs at his tie. “Let’s get the fuck out of here and go somewhere more comfortable.”

Lucas nods in agreement. My brother is usually pretty good at playing the part of polite diplomat at these sorts of functions. It’s probably a skill that he’s fine-tuned since becoming a football coach and having to manage a team of both players and their parents. But even he looks ready to go.

“Yeah.” He scowls. “I made nice with the Montgomerys for a bit, and none of us punched Dylan in the face, so I’d say we’ve gone above and beyond. I checked with mom and dad, and they’re heading out soon too.”

Nick nods, stepping away from us. “I’ll go grab Reid.”

I head toward the door with Sebastian and Lucas, already looking forward to getting out of here.

When Nick returns to join us with his brother in tow, I can’t help but stiffen a little as Reid’s shoulder brushes against mine. I pull away from him, Sutton’s laughter still echoing in my mind. I know it’s stupid to be mad at him, and I’m not even sure angeris what I’m feeling. But I just need a second before I can act like everything is normal.

He glances over at me, his brows furrowing, but he doesn’t say anything as we all get our coats and leave the venue, stepping out into the snowy night.

“What do you say? The Old Oak?” Sebastian suggests, and everyone chimes in with agreement. “Lucas, you want a ride?”

“Yeah, thanks. I came with my folks, so I don’t have a car here.”

When we reach the car, Lucas climbs into the front passenger seat as Sebastian gets behind the wheel. Reid opens one of the back doors for me, ushering me into the car. But before I slide in, he takes the opportunity to catch my arm in a light grip, dropping his head to speak in a low voice.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Did something happen at the party?”

“Nope, nothing at all.” I bite my bottom lip, then blurt quietly, “Looks like you had fun though. I didn’t realize that you and Sutton were still so close.”

Reid’s head jerks back a little, his hand freezing on the car door as he looks at me with a startled expression.

“Are you guys getting in or what?” my brother calls from inside the car.

I quickly slide in, and Reid climbs in after me, followed by Nick. I end up sitting by the window behind Lucas, with Reid in the middle of the back seat between me and Nick. Sebastian and Lucas fall into easy conversation, and I can feel Reid’s gaze on me in the dim interior of the car as he studies me.

“Hey, how about some music?” he says suddenly, looking up toward the front.

“Sure.” Lucas turns on the radio. He messes around with it for a bit until he finds a good song, then turns it up.

The sound fills the car, pouring through the speakers as Sebastian drives carefully down the snowy streets. I chew on mybottom lip, staring out the window to keep from looking over at Reid and having to explain why I’m so upset. Honestly, I’m not even sure that Icanexplain why I’m upset. It’s all just a hot jumble of emotions, and none of it is very easily put into words.

After a moment, Reid rests a hand on my leg. I glance down at it for a second before I meet his eyes, and he leans a bit closer.

“Are you… jealous?” he whispers, his voice barely audible.

My face flames, both because he’s calling me out on it and because it’s true. He must be able to read the answer on my face, because he shakes his head, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“Trust me, trouble,” he breathes. “I have no interest in my ex.”

I lean back and lift an eyebrow at him. “Oh, really?” I whisper. “It sure seemed like you did.”

His fingers trail up my leg, moving to the inside of my thigh and toying with the edge of my dress. I hate that it gives me chills, and I hate that he clearly notices. His lips curve even more, something burning in his eyes as he leans closer.

“It wasn’t her I was thinking about all night.” His breath stirs my hair as he speaks quietly. “It was this.”

His hand disappears under my dress, and I’m suddenly hyper aware of the fact that my panties are still stuffed safely away in Sebastian’s pocket. Reid’s fingers find my pussy, and I stiffen, my eyes shooting to the rearview mirror. Is he really doing this? With my brother in the front seat?

Holy fuck.

My eyes drift back to Reid’s, and he smirks at me. He clearly knows what he’s doing is risky, but he doesn’t seem to give a damn because his fingers are tracing my folds, teasing me. If Lucas catches us, I don’t even want to think about what might happen… but I also don’t want Reid to stop. Not after the way I saw his ex-girlfriend practically throwing herself at him tonight.

I steal another glance in the rearview mirror, but Lucas is totally absorbed by the conversation he’s having with Sebastian in the front.

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